Lack of shelter in Kyiv - here SVT spends the night in the subway

During the fall, hundreds of Kyiv residents gathered to protest against the city's mayor, Vitaly Klytjko. The protesters feel that the city's political leadership has not done enough to protect them from the Russian airstrikes. The power cuts are troublesome and there is great concern that heating and water will be affected this winter. The lack of shelters is also a problem.

Most Kyjiv residents live in houses without shelter in the basement. They are directed to premises nearby or to the subway, but the distance is too long during the ballistic attacks that occur almost every day. The city has promised more mobile shelters but has not delivered.

- In the event of a ballistics alarm, I have about a minute and a half to get to the subway. It is impossible to get there at that time, says Aleks, who lives in a high-rise building in the Lukjanivka district, a central and popular residential area of ​​Kyiv.

Can take shelter in cars

There used to be a weapons factory in the district, but it has been bombed several times - as have large parts of the city centre. Anna lives on the ninth floor of one of the buildings.

- When an alarm goes off, I just try to get to the bottom of the house. The subway is my closest shelter, but I can't get there. If we have time, we can take shelter in our cars in the parking lot, she says.

- What should we do? I have my family here, I don't want to leave. We stop and we pray. That's what we can do.

Anna is not alone. Every night there are people sleeping on the platform of Lukjanivka metro station.